Israelites (i.e., non-Cohanim) fulfill their obligation [of peace-offerings of joy] with vows, and gifts, and the beast-tithe, [it being written (Deuteronomy 16:14): "And you shall rejoice in your festival" — to include all varieties of joy (i.e., of meat), the verse requiring only joy. And the master said: "There is joy only in meat," and these are meat.] And the Cohanim (fulfill their obligation) with sin-offerings, guilt-offerings, the bechor (the firstling), the breast and the shoulder; but not with birds and meal-offerings, [it being written: "And you shall rejoice in your festival (chagecha)," Scripture hereby stating: Rejoice in that from which the festival offering (chagigah) is brought — to exclude birds and the meal-offering, the chagigah not being brought therefrom.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
יוצאין ידי חובתן – [they fulfill their religious obligations] of peace-offerings of rejoicing, offerings made by vow and free-will offerings (see Mishnah Kinnim, Chapter 1, Mishnah 1) and the tithing of cattle, as it is written (Deuteronomy 16:14): “You shall rejoice in your festival…,” to include all kinds of joyous occasions, for the Biblical verse does not require other than rejoicing, and the Master said: There is no rejoicing other than through the eating of meat, and this [sacrifice] is meat.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Chagigah
Introduction
During the festival it was a mitzvah to celebrate by eating meat. This was done by bringing celebratory thanksgiving offerings to the Temple and eating them in Jerusalem. Our mishnah teaches that both Israelites and priests can use animals and meat dedicated or made holy for other purposes in order to fulfill this obligation.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
אבל לא בעופות ולא במנחות – as it is written (Deuteronomy 16:14): “You shall rejoice in your festival…” The Torah said, make a joyous celebration from whomever the Festival offering comes, excluding birds and meal-offerings for the Festival Offering does not come from them.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Chagigah
Israelites fulfill their obligation with vow-offerings, freewill-offerings and cattle tithe. An Israelite can fulfill his obligation to bring/eat a celebratory thanksgiving offering by bringing vow-offerings and freewill-offerings that he had set aside during the year for other purposes. During the year a person might make an offering to the Temple for all sorts of reasons (as a supplication, to show gratitude). He may take this animal with him on his pilgrimage and it can count as his celebratory thanksgiving offering. Cattle tithe, the tenth animal born of cows, sheep and goats, is “holy to the Lord” (Leviticus 27:32). This animal is brought to Jerusalem and eaten there. An Israelite can use an animal that was set aside to be cattle tithe as his celebratory thanksgiving offering.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Chagigah
And priests with sin-offerings and guilt-offerings, firstlings, the breast and the shoulder, but not with bird-offerings, and not with meal-offerings. Pilgrims would also bring with them the various sin-offerings and guilt-offerings that they had become liable for during the year. They would also bring the “firstlings”, the first-born of every kosher animal. All of these go to the priest and he may use them to fulfill his obligation for celebratory thanksgiving offerings. The breast and the shoulder of thanksgiving offerings go to the priest. This meat will count for him in order to fulfill his obligation for eating meat. However, bird-offerings and meal-offerings don’t count because one can only fulfill the obligation with mammal meat sheep, goats and cows.
